Use the button above to print out our two-sided road sign, or contact info@friendsofbuckinghamva.org to request a sign. They may be picked up in the Yogaville area.

Take Action:

• Contact local officials: Urge county leaders and state representatives to oppose the Valley Link project.
  • Find contact information for Buckingham’s Board of Supervisors
  • Find your state representatives

• Attend community meetings and speak out: Participate in hearings and submit written comments when opportunities are announced.
  • Buckingham’s Board of Supervisors will vote on a resolution at its April 20th meeting. Contact your Buckingham County Supervisor and voice support for them to issue a resolution against the Valley Link Project at their April 20th meeting, “Consideration of the County’s position and adoption of a resolution related to their position concerning the Valley Link powerline proposed to cross Buckingham County.” Note: this meeting is not open to the public, so you must contact your County Supervisor in advance.
  • Find the agenda for the meeting here
  • Stream the meeting live, if you cannot attend
  • Register for the email for upcoming agenda notices  jlann@buckinghamva.gov
• Send a No Trespass letter to the developers: Learn more about how you can communicate your opposition directly to the developers. DO NOT give Valley Link or Dominion Energy permission to survey your land! Post No Trespassing signs. They are assessing the value of your land in order to seize it.
  
• Valley Link Community Guide
• Get connected: Share information with neighbors, on social media, and through local groups.
  • Join Friends of Buckingham to stay informed and join the fight
  • Join Block Valley Link on Facebook
  • Visit the Block Valley Link website. Visit Valley Link’s website and look up the impact on your property and your neighbors’. You can also submit comments. You must sign up for a GeoVoice account to leave a comment but not to view the interactive map or search for your property.

    https://vltransmission.com/joshua-falls-to-yeat/

  • Follow Block Valley Link on Twitter
  • Follow Block Valley Link on Instagram
  • Write frequently in opposition to the transmission line to Governor Abigail Spanberger, 1111 Capitol St. Richmond, VA 23219
• Download, print, sign, and mail in this petition:
  

  petition-against-transmission-line

  Completed petitions can be dropped off at Purcell Lumber (138 West Street, Louisa, VA), or mailed to Robin Horne (2562 Peach Grove Road, Louisa, VA 23093)

  As of April 5th, we’ve collected over 2,200. Our goal is 10,000+ across the 9 counties.

  Press release from Louisa County on behalf of all 9 counties.

• Sample letter to the governor, by Angela Masonb of Angie’s Critter Care:

  I’m sharing my email to the Governor here, in case anyone wants to copy and paste it. Feel free to use it. In all honesty, I loved John Castonguay’s (Orange County) email so much, I “borrowed” most of mine from him. Please send an email to Abigail Spanberger today. Thank you for your solidarity!

   

  Dear Governor Spanberger,

  As a resident of Buckingham County, I am writing to you today to urge you to take action against three interconnected threats to Virginia’s rural character, farmland, property rights, and economic well-being.

  First, I ask that you oppose Dominion Energy/Valley Link’s proposed “Joshua Falls to Yeat” 765kV transmission lines. This project would bisect nine counties, impacting over 130,000 landowners by carving a 200-foot-wide corridor through thousands of acres of agricultural, ranch, and rural countryside. Despite the permanent damage to our landscape and environment, the primary purpose of this project is to power data centers that provide no local benefit to the communities they cross, yet Virginia ratepayers are expected to fund the construction through rising fees on our already insanely high electric bills. I would like you to know that I personally know several Virginians who are currently having to choose between electricity and food because they cannot afford both.

  As stated, the rapid expansion of data centers across Virginia is driving up electricity costs, creating water shortages, increasing pollution, causing health problems in children, adults, and animals, and generating a constant humming noise in once-peaceful, bucolic environments that we call home. These facilities are consuming the agricultural, ranch, and rural countryside that defines central Virginia.

  Third, the Commonwealth’s tax exemptions for data centers cost Virginians nearly $2 billion annually in lost revenue. This subsidy benefits large technology companies while ordinary citizens and small businesses bear the burden of higher energy rates and a degraded quality of life.

  You have spoken previously about ensuring data centers pay their fair share. I hope you stay true to your word.

  I respectfully ask for your leadership in the following areas:

  -Oppose the Joshua Falls to Yeat transmission line project and direct the State Corporation Commission to explore alternatives that protect our rural landscapes. (such as alternative routes or underground lines)

  -Support limits on unchecked data center development in rural Virginia.

  -Reform or end data center tax exemptions so these entities contribute fairly to the Commonwealth.

  Our agricultural, historical, and rural heritage is irreplaceable. Once these infrastructure corridors and campuses are built, the damage is done. I ask that you listen to the landowners and families of the 9 counties that would be affected and take immediate steps to halt this unsustainable and UNNECESSARY development that does not benefit these particular counties.

  Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

  Regards,

  Angela Mason

  Buckingham County, VA

FAQ

What is the Valley Link project?
A proposed 765,000-volt transmission line that would run through our county in a corridor approximately 200 feet wide.

Who is behind the project?
Valley Link is a partnership between Dominion Energy, Transource (jointly owned by American Electric Power and Evergy), and FirstEnergy Transmission.

How will this impact us?

Reduced home & property values: Home values will likely decrease 10-12%, with greater decrease in value if there is an easement/utility right of way. Values drop even more if a new power line is being installed.  Reduced home values also mean reduced revenue for the County.

Our health: The World Health Organization cites living next to 765 k/V lines can cause headaches, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, prickling or burning skin, rashes, and muscle pain. Other studies have found links to increased risk of cancer, leukemia, neuro degenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s), low sperm count, and miscarriage.

Environmental: This project is not subject to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, meaning environmental impacts have not been investigated, studied, or assessed. We can expect damage to wildlife, the ecosystem, habitat loss, soil erosion, and disruption to local water drainage patterns. Transmission lines also pose collision and electrocution risks to migratory birds.

Noise: The lines make constant humming and buzzing sounds due to corona discharge. Listen to the sounds of 765 k/V transmission lines here https://youtu.be/WopU7JXaly8 and here https://youtu.be/PuP1sdLaDnA

How can I find out if my property is affected?
Proposed routes are still being discussed. Check maps and updates as they become available.

Is the project already approved?
The project is in development and not finalized.

 News Coverage

Virginia Mercury: Ten historic preservation and environmental groups are cautioning against the potential impacts of the proposed high-powered Valley Link transmission line, which will span 115 miles across Virginia, casting it as a danger to the state’s natural resources.

Buckingham County Central to Statewide Preservation Fight Over Proposed Valley Link Transmission Line

Preservation Virginia has named the proposed Valley Link transmission corridor one of Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places for 2026 — a major statewide recognition of the growing threats facing Buckingham County and communities across Virginia’s Piedmont.

Friends of Buckingham was proud to join nine other conservation and preservation organizations in supporting the nomination, which highlights the enormous impacts the proposed 115-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission line could have on historic landscapes, forests, farms, waterways, battlefields, and rural communities stretching from Campbell County to Culpeper County.

 

For Buckingham County, the stakes are especially high. “We have more ties to our land. It’s not replaceable for us. You can’t sell it and then get something else,” Irene Leech, a board member for Friends of Buckingham, said at a press the Tuesday, May 21, 2026 press conference to announce the Most Endangered designation. “This (transmission line) that they’re wanting to put in will bring things that we don’t think fit with the direction that our county and our land is going.”

The proposed corridor threatens not only private property rights and natural resources, but also the historic identity and scenic character that define our community. Among the places identified in the nomination are the Buckingham Court House Historic District and the Buckingham Female Collegiate Institute Historic District — the site of Virginia’s first chartered college for women. The nomination also recognizes the importance of the James River corridor, Lee Wayside, and the county’s broader network of historic rural landscapes and cultural resources.

 

If approved, the project would create a 200-foot-wide cleared utility corridor supported by massive transmission towers unlike anything currently seen in much of rural Virginia. Forest fragmentation, industrial-scale infrastructure, and permanent changes to viewsheds could alter Buckingham’s landscape for generations.

 

The proposed line is being advanced by Valley Link Transmission, a joint venture of Dominion Energy, Transource, and FirstEnergy Transmission. The project is largely driven by rising electricity demand associated with the explosive growth of Northern Virginia data centers.

 

“This project threatens not only Buckingham County’s forests, farms, scenic landscapes, and private property rights, but also the county’s historic rural landscape. Whether transmission structures directly cross these historic districts or are constructed nearby, industrial-scale corridors, tower visibility, forest clearing, and landscape fragmentation could permanently damage their historic integrity, scenic character, and cultural significance.”

 

Every year during National Historic Preservation Month, Preservation Virginia releases its list of historic places facing imminent or sustained threats across the Commonwealth. Inclusion on the list brings statewide attention to endangered cultural resources and encourages public advocacy and preservation efforts.

 

This designation comes at a critical moment. Valley Link is expected to seek approval of a final route from the Virginia State Corporation Commission later this year. Community input remains essential.

Residents are encouraged to review the proposed routes, attend upcoming public meetings, and submit comments through Valley Link’s GeoVoice portal regarding specific impacts to homes, farms, historic resources, waterways, forests, and communities.

 

Buckingham County’s history, landscapes, and sense of place are not replaceable. This designation underscores what many residents already understand: the decisions made now will shape the future of our county for generations to come.

Cardinal News – “‘My land is valuable’: Valley Link power transmission proposal meets a growing, organized resistance“

Virginia Mercury – “Louisa County officials push back against Valley Link Transmission proposal“

The Goochland County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved allocating $250,000 to support advocacy efforts opposing the proposed Valley Link Transmission Project. 

Valley Link is expecting to file with the State Corporation Commission (SCC) in September. Rakes said that when it gets to that level, the counties impacted by the project should ask to hold those meetings in their respective counties.

 

Virginia Groups Where You Can Get Involved

• Friends of Buckingham Va
• Virginia Environmental Coalition
• Stop Bad Data Centers
• Block Valley Link
• The Virginia League of Conservation Voters
• Southern Environmental Law Center
• Piedmont Environmental Council
  
• Virginia Forever
• OCH Conservation Foundation
• Wild Virginia
• Preservation Virginia